


The Colour of Love

by EffervescentAardvark



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Challenge Response, Gwaine Fest, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Torture, Past Violence, Romance, Sexual Content, perwaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-25 11:58:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2620901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EffervescentAardvark/pseuds/EffervescentAardvark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was beyond dark. A pitch black that was so deep it allowed no hint of colour. He hurt.  He had no idea where he was or how he’d got there. Gwaine realised the small, scared sound came from his own throat as he woke enough to reach out, trying to find out what was wrong with his eyes.</p>
<p>Gwaine's been rescued by his friends, but has he escaped unscathed from his ordeal? Luckily he has Percival to help him through the aftemath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Colour of Love

It was beyond dark. A pitch black that was so deep it allowed no hint of colour. He hurt. He had no idea where he was or how he’d got there. Gwaine realised the small, scared sound came from his own throat as he woke enough to reach out, trying to find out what was wrong with his eyes.

A hand, large and warm, caught his, holding it tight. “It’s okay. You’re safe, we got you out.” The voice, familiar and loved, eased the weight of panic from his chest. “Your eyes are fine. The warlord kept you in a pit. You’ve been in the dark for over a week and Merlin thinks they used a torch, maybe shoved it in your face. The skin around your eyes is a bit burnt and the light hurts them, but they’re not damaged,” Percival explained, with a practiced patience that made Gwaine wonder if perhaps Percival had told him this before. He had vague, confused memories of darkness and waking and Percival’s voice. Percival guided Gwaine’s hand to his face, letting his fingers feel the bandages there. “Merlin wrapped your eyes. He says you need to get used to the light gradually or you could damage them further. It’ll take a few days, so leave them alone okay?” He squeezed Gwaine’s hand gently before placing a feather-light kiss to his temple. “I know they’re sore and itchy, but it’s important. Can you do that for me?”

Gwaine nodded and managed what was supposed to be a yes but came out more of a croak.

“Good, good.” Percival puffed out a relieved breath, before continuing. “You’ve also got a bit of a fever from your wounds, but Merlin’s cleaned them all up and you’re getting better. We’ll be back in Camelot tomorrow and then we’re both going to sleep for a week.” Percival’s voice shook slightly. “You scared me, love.” He admitted with a whisper, his breath tickling Gwaine’s ear. “But we’re both going to be fine. You hear me, Gwaine?”

Gwaine nodded again. He felt weird and his brain seemed to be working at the speed of treacle. That was probably the fever he figured. Slowly the rest of his body was reporting in, and bits of fragmented memory floated back with each ache and twinge. His chest ached and he remembered the shock and thump of being kicked in the ribs and the sharp hot pain of a knife being drawn slowly across his skin. His leg too was sore, that had happened earlier, a sword slash when he was cornered and captured, and his eyes…He reached up instinctively to rub at them as they stung and burned. Were they really alright? Was Percy just humouring him? His breath caught at the sudden thought. 

Percival caught his hand again, holding it gently, his fingers rubbing over Gwaine’s knuckles. “You’re going to be fine, I promise. Let’s get you something to drink, okay?”

Before Gwaine had a chance to answer, Percival was carefully lifting his head head, pressing a cup to his lips. It was some sort of tea and Gwaine coughed and gagged as it hit his taste buds.

“Sorry, sorry.” Percival apologised ruefully, pulling the offending cup back. “It’s one of Merlin’s noxious brews. He says it’s got willow bark in it which will help with your fever. Can you drink it down for me?”

Swallowing manfully, Gwaine nodded again and Percival wrapped his hand around the back of Gwaine’s head, raising it again, letting him sip at his own pace.

“There, that wasn’t so bad now was it?” Percival’s voice was maybe a bit too bright and cheerful, but Gwaine had to give him points for trying. “But how about a little water to clear the taste away?” 

“Please.” Gwaine managed, and gratefully swallowed a few sips of cool water, letting it rinse away the bitter after taste of Merlin’s tea.

“That’s it, that’s good.” Percival encouraged, before laying Gwaine’s head back down onto the bundled cloak beneath. It must be Percival’s cloak Gwaine realised vaguely, the scent of his knight soothing him as Percival bundled him back up in a mountain of blankets, before making to stand up.

Gwaine didn’t mean to make the quiet noise of protest that escaped his lips, or dart a hand out, trying to stop Percival, but apparently his body wasn’t listening to him right now and did it anyway. The idea of being back in the dark, alone, was suddenly terrifying. Catching Gwaine’s hand in his own, Percival immediately sank back down next to him.

“It’s okay.” Percival soothed, running his other hand through Gwaine’s hair, smoothing it back from his damp and sweaty forehead. “I was just going to let the others know you were awake, and get Merlin to have a look at you.” He explained carefully, “But how about you rest awhile first before the others come to pester us?”

This was the point where Gwaine knew he should have chuckled and told Percival not to be so silly, that he was a grown man and didn’t need babying, but the words wouldn’t come and he couldn’t seem to make himself let go of Percival’s hand. Still Percival sounded worried and maybe sad, so Gwaine tried again. “Thanks,” he said, quietly. “Gonna be here when I wake up?”

“Of course.” Percival promised, “Not going anywhere. In fact,” he smiled ruefully, his fingers running through Gwaine’s hair in just that right way that made Gwaine feel safe, “I’m not sure I’m ever going to let you out of my sight ever again.”

“Don’t you worry,” Gwaine said needing to reassure Percival almost as much as he needed Percival to reassure him, “it’ll take a lot more than an overblown little warlord to take me down!” Despite the big words though, he was slowly, and suspiciously – there had been more than just willow bark in that tea Gwaine figured sleepily – drifting back off to sleep, lulled by the sound of Percival’s voice as he said something else undoubtedly sappy and carried on stroking his hair.

*****

It felt like a lifetime later when Gwaine awoke to darkness again, but he gathered only a few hours had passed as he was manhandled onto a stretcher, despite his protests that he could walk, and then the stretcher was hitched to a horse.

It was hard not to jump, not to flinch away from unexpected touches and unexplained sounds, but Percival stayed with him the whole time; his hand resting on Gwaine’s leg or shoulder and calmly talking. His normally quiet knight provided him with a constant narrative, explaining what was happening, who was where, how mad and frizzy Leon’s hair looked when the weather was damp like this, how grouchy Elyan was being because he hadn’t had any tea yet and that the loud crash he’d just heard was Merlin tripping over his own feet and dropping all the cups and plates he’d just washed into the mud and now he was having to go and wash them all over again.

Percival’s voice brought colour into the overwhelming black as he walked beside Gwaine’s stretcher, making the slow, uncomfortable journey a little less torturous and a lot less terrifying. The stretcher dragged and bumped over the uneven ground as they made their way back to Camelot, waking aches and pains that Gwaine hadn’t noticed earlier. But Percival kept on talking, his voice growing hoarse as he described everything along the way, from the gold and red of the autumn leaves falling from the trees, the ominous steel grey of the sky as rain threatened again, and the soggy, muddy brown colour of Leon’s cloak after he’d lost his balance and slid down a bank on his backside…Gwaine drifted in and out of sleep, the dark a lot less threatening when Percival was there with him.

****

It had been three days since they’d got back to the safety of Camelot, Three whole days! Even though he’d spent the first of those mostly asleep in Gaius’s infirmary, Gwaine was still most definitely going slowly insane from the boredom of being cooped up, even if cooped up meant being with Percival snuggled up together in their room. Snuggling just gave him ideas though, ideas that Percival, being the mean man that he was, refused to have anything to do with.

“You’re not going slowly insane.” Percival told him from somewhere close by. Gwaine could hear him walking around the room as he…well Gwaine couldn’t tell what he was doing, which made whatever it was both mysterious and annoying at the same time. “You are going quickly insane and taking me with you, with the constant whining…”

Gwaine realised that he may, possibly, have been thinking out loud, but what else did they expect, keeping him shut up like this? They’d even locked the door on him!

“And how would you know the door was locked if you hadn’t tried it the second I fell asleep?” Percival asked, confirming that, yes indeed, Gwaine was thinking out loud.

“I wasn’t going to go far,” he muttered by way of an almost apology.

Percival huffed an exasperated breath and Gwaine just knew the large knight was rubbing his hand over his cropped hair in exasperation. “Ignoring the fact that your injuries are still healing and Gaius wanted you to stay off your feet – you still can’t see!”

“I can see a bit.” Gwaine said, with the pout of a stubborn five year old. And he could see…kind of. They’d been gradually reducing the amount of bandages over his eyes, letting them adapt to the light a little bit at a time. He could definitely, mostly, tell light from dark now.

Percival was still doing whatever it was he was doing on the other side of the room, and it was mean of him not to let Gwaine know what he was up to. It was making him curious and that was just not fair. Gwaine pouted some more.

“What were you going to do wandering around the castle on your own?” Percival asked, keeping his voice calm, not giving Gwaine the argument his was itching for, if only to relieve the boredom. “Were you planning on falling down the first flight of steps you came to? Or maybe you were going to take the bandages off, despite Gaius’s warning you not to?”

Gwaine might have blushed a little. Apparently he was getting predictable, or maybe his Percival just knew him a bit too well now. “I had a plan!” he protested, because he was Gwaine and everyone knew he always had a plan. “I was going to the kitchens. I’ll never get an opportunity like this again. Just think of it, all those dishes I could accidently put my fingers in because I can’t see what I’m doing!”

“So putting your fingers in boiling soup was your plan?” Percival asked. Maybe Gwaine hadn’t thought the plan all the way through.

“Well, I was thinking more about apple pie…” He admitted.

There was a pause, most likely just long enough for Percival to have rolled his eyes to go along with the loud sigh he let out. Gwaine was thinking hard, trying to come up with a better defense for his plan, but Percival beat him to it.

“Here!” Percival said, and something soft hit Gwaine in the face with a gentle whumph.

“Wha? Gerroff!” Unable to see, Gwaine was caught by surprise as he suddenly found himself grappling with a faceful of cloth.

“It’s your clothes.” Percival‘s voice was suddenly a lot nearer. “Now are you going to let me help you with them, or do you want to wear your trousers inside out?”

“Why do I need to wear them at all?” Gwaine grumped as Percival patiently helped him extricate his head from the armhole he’d jammed it in and manoeuvred his tunic on over his head, being careful of bandages and bruises.

“Because, while I appreciate the view,” Percival answered as he worked with Gwaine’s flailing limbs, “it would probably be for the best if you didn’t walk around the castle naked.”

“You’re just worried about the competition that would…wait, what?” Walk around the castle?

Percival chuckled, “Unless you want to stay in here for another whole day?”

“No, no.” Gwaine hurriedly tried to shove his feet into the boots Percival was helping him with. Much as he loved nothing more than a lie-in wrapped around Percival or vice versa, he much preferred it when the lying-in led to, well, more…and with Percival in full blown mother hen mode nothing that interesting was likely to happen. Still, being manhandled by Percival like this was making him kind of horny, and it wasn’t only his sore muscles that were stiff as he stood up, a little unsteadily, with Percival’s help. Maybe he could convince Percival that more interesting was the way to go. He accidentally slid his hand lower as he used Percival to steady himself. He was blind after all, it wasn’t his fault if he accidentally put his hands some place else, and thinking about that was definitely better than thinking about how helpless, how pathetic he must look, blindly clinging to the larger knight.

Percival, as it happened, hadn’t been born yesterday. “Gwaine…” He sighed, patiently, sliding the offending hand back up and away from where it was most definitely groping his butt, “don’t even think about it.”

“Sometimes you are just no fun at all.” Gwaine said, as Percival all but hauled him out of their room. 

******

As it turned out, being led around blind was very interesting in a mildly terrifying kind of way. Gwaine wasn’t sure if it was him that wasn’t good at being led or Percival wasn’t much good at leading. Spiral staircases were no fun at all, and he’d never really thought about how stairs went both up and down, and how useful it was to know which direction that were going to be travelling in, until he’d stepped into thin air, nearly sending him them both tumbling down. Of course that was all Percival’s fault and Gwaine got over the fright of the near miss by bitching and moaning at his guide the rest of the way.

“Where are we going, anyway?” he asked Percival after he’d been walking through the dark for what felt like forever.

“It’s a surprise.” Percival declared proudly. He wasn’t terribly good at surprises, that was usually Gwaine’s department, but he knew how desperately Gwaine needed something to distract him from how helpless and cooped up he was feeling.

Gwaine huffed. “It won’t be a surprise. It’ll just be dark. It doesn’t matter where you’re taking me, it’ll still be dark.” Unless… “Are we going to the kitchens?” He asked hopefully. The dark could always be made better by stolen food.

“No, we’re not going to the kitchens.” Percival answered as they apparently paused to let him open a heavy door and lead Gwaine…outside, Gwaine realised. They were definitely outside now. 

“There is food involved though.” Percival promised and Gwaine perked up considerably at this news.

They were getting better at this and there were less trips and stumbles as Gwaine first was led along a path and then eventually and more slowly, over ground that was more rough and uneven. 

Still, this was taking an awfully long time. Gwaine would never admit it, but his leg was starting to ache and now that food had been mentioned his stomach interrupted proceedings with a loud rumble. “Are we nearly there yet?” He asked for what was probably the twentieth time.

This time though the answer was different as Percival gently tugged him to a halt. “Yes, I think we are. Now, just stay there a moment while I get us set up.”

Gwaine tried to concentrate on the fact that Percival was nearby and hid the embarrassing unease at being alone in the dark by covering it up with inane chatter. “You’d better have remembered to bring apples. If you haven’t brought apples, then I’m turning round and going straight back to bed.”

Gwaine knew of course that Percival saw straight through him, but being the perfect man he was, he let Gwaine keep his dignity by bantering back. “Of course I brought apples! And those little meat pies you like so much. I even bought us a flask of that ridiculously expensive wine you pretend not to like because only Lords, nobles and posh-types prefer wine to ale.”

Ohhh, this was sounding promising, Gwaine thought as Percival sat him down on what Gwaine assumed to be a blanket from the soft feel of it.

“Time for food?” Gwaine asked hopefully as Percival sat himself down directly behind him, wrapping one of those huge arms around to pull Gwaine’s back snugly against his chest.

“Nearly time for food.” Percival murmured in his ear.

Gwaine opened his mouth, then closed it with a click, stuck between grousing about the delay in food and getting excited by the way Percival’s breath tickled his ear and his arm felt wrapped around his chest. Their picnics usually ended up with them both being naked, and Gwaine could definitely get behind that plan, with or without his eyesight. He twisted around for a kiss, which Percival returned carefully, delicately, working around Gwaine’s half-healed lips and gums, before pulling slowly away with a shake of his head. “We’ve got something more important to do.” He declared, ignoring Gwaine’s frustrated whine of protest.

“What’s more important than…?” Gwaine started to ask, but then Percival’s hand was at the back of his head, his fingers unpicking the knots securing the last layer of bandages.

Gwaine’s breath hitched, suddenly tense, suddenly wanting to stop Percival. What if they were wrong about his eyes? What if he couldn’t see? Gaius had taken the bandages off a few times to clean his eyes, but the shutters had been kept closed and the light so low, Gwaine really had no idea if they were just telling him platitudes or his eyes really were healing. He remembered, now, all too clearly the burning pain of the torch being held in his face, his skin burning from the heat, his eyes burning from the unbearable brightness. Maybe it would be better not knowing. Wouldn’t being forever in the dark, but with the hope that he might be able to see without the bandages, be better than knowing for sure that he’d never see light, or colour, or Percival’s face ever again? That was silly, of course, but still he hesitated. 

Percival stopped. Tuning into Gwaine’s sudden tension he left the bandages alone, stroking his hands soothingly through Gwaine’s hair instead. “Gaius said your eyes are going to be fine.” He murmured, explaining as if they hadn’t gone over this countless times over the past few days. “We need to be careful. No bright light and only a few hours at a time for the first day or two until your eyes adjust.” He continued running his fingers through Gwaine’s hair, the soothing motion of it and the calm, patient confidence of his voice helping Gwaine to slowly relax. “Gaius said the bandages can come off for a little while today. Trust me?”

And of course Gwaine did. Totally, absolutely. Gwaine twisted his head, kissing Percival’s palm, placing all his hopes and fears into Percival’s care. His knight began to undo the knot again, grumbling to himself and how tight and difficult it had become.

Suddenly there was light. Too much light, too bright. But light was good, right? Gwaine blinked furiously, desperate to see something, anything, through the painful blur. It was out of focus to start with, but…yes, there was colour!

Struggling to focus Gwaine realised that he’d been right, they were sitting on a blanket. It was kind of a boring beige, but beige right now was beautiful, Gwaine decided. The sky was a beautiful blue and the grass was a beautiful green. There were also tiny little purple flowers and Gwaine ran his fingers through them. There was also a perfect picnic sat ready and waiting for them. Percival had brought both green and red apples and…this wasn’t what he wanted to be looking at! Gwaine twisted in Percival’s grip, needing to see Percival’s face more than any pretty scenery. And there he was, all concerned blue eyes and perfectly golden skin. Gwaine found himself blinking furiously again.

“It’s okay.” Percival whispered, kissing the sudden tears away from Gwaine’s eyes. Tears which Gwaine told himself were totally caused by his eyes watering from the unaccustomed brightness, even though Percival had thoughtfully positioned them under the deep shade of a tree. “We’re okay know, everything’s fine now.”

Gwaine pulled back, pushing Percival to arms length so he could get a proper look at him. “Love you.” He smiled, before frowning as he caught sight of the bruises there. More colours, blues this time, fading to greens and sickly yellows. “What’s this?” Gwaine demanded, running his thumb over the injury.

“An axe handle.” Percival shrugged, capturing Gwaine’s hand in his and before stretching Gwaine’s arm out before him. “Not nearly as impressive as yours.”

Gwaine looked down at his own arm. Percival had a point, he had to concede. There was a whole rainbow going on, but bruises, pretty colours or not, were not what Gwaine had on his mind right now, and were definitely not what he wanted to be wasting time looking at. With the time he’d spent in the pit and time recovering it had been nearly two whole weeks since… 

“Come here.” He commanded, pulling Percival back to him, at first for gentle kisses around his black eye, and then needing more, Gwaine moved his mouth back to Percival’s lips.

“I thought you wanted food?” Percival asked as he half-heartedly tried to pull away.

Gwaine snorted. “That was before you were on the menu.” He held onto Percival, kissing him harder, hungrily. It had been too long. Too long in the dark, too long without Percival.

Percival tried to pull back with more determination this time, pressing his hands against Gwaine’s chest. “You’re not healed yet.”

But Gwaine knew this game and how to win it. It was a game they were always playing – Percival fighting for control, unwilling to let go and forget himself in case his size and strength were too much. And Gwaine, Gwaine was always fighting for exactly that, needing all and everything he knew Percival could give him. Nothing was better than watching Percival fly apart, his need for Gwaine so great that he couldn’t be careful anymore.

It was a game Gwaine nearly always won, because Gwaine nearly always cheated. He knew Percival’s body just as well as his own. It didn’t take much, a bite just there, a lick along his jaw, another kiss in exactly the right place…

“God, Gwaine!” Percival hissed, a shudder running through his body and Gwaine grinned in triumph. There it was, that’s what he’d been waiting for. Game over. Percival pushed him back onto the blanket, his hands tugging at Gwaine’s tunic and finding warm skin underneath. Percival’s mouth followed his hands and soon he was pulling the tunic off over Gwaine’s head.

“Good, that’s good. More.” Gwaine demanded, tightening his hands around the back of Percival’s head, guiding that sinful mouth just where he needed it and making sure that Percival didn’t get a chance at second or even third thoughts. He felt Percival pause as his mouth met the bandages still wrapped around Gwaine’s chest, felt him stop. “No, no!” Gwaine gasped, not wanting his hard work to be undone by a few strips of cloth and Percival’s overdeveloped mothering instinct. Emergency situations demanded emergency measures, and Gwaine hurriedly reached between them, finding the hard length of Percival’s cock straining at his trousers. He slid his hand inside, before Percival had time to react beyond a muffled groan. “Not stopping.” Gwaine insisted, “Need you.”

Percival gasped something Gwaine didn’t quite catch, it could have been a curse, it could have been a cry for mercy, but Gwaine had none, and ran his hand insistently down Percival’s cock, before stroking back up again. 

Still, from somewhere, some reserve of strength that Gwaine definitely didn’t have, but Percival somehow still did, Percival grabbed Gwaine’s hand, stilling him.

“Okay, okay.” Percival said, his voice trembling as much as the hand holding Gwaine in place. “But we’re doing this my way.” And alright, Gwaine realised, perhaps he’d only mostly won this time, but he’d take that. Percival was working at the ties to Gwaine’s trousers now and Gwaine would most definitely take that.

Gwaine moaned as cool air hit his already hard cock, and then Percival was looking around for something…oh God, he hadn’t forgotten..? But no, he’d remembered the oil. Always being prepared apparently was one of the better habits he’d picked up from Gwaine’s usually corrupting influence, and Gwaine found himself writhing with impatience as Percival slicked up his length using long slow strokes, pausing only to run his thumb around the already glistening head, and then back down again.

“Nnnghhh.” Gwaine managed none too intelligently as Percival edged up his body, straddling him and pinning him down. Impatient as always Gwaine writhed against the restraint, wanting more, wanting it now.

“Shhh, shhh.” Percival gentled him, “Going to take care of you. Will you let me take care of you?”

Gwaine nodded, his need robbing him of words.

“Just need you to be a little patient.” Percival said, his voice low and soothing as he slicked up his own fingers and reached behind him. Gwaine watched, wide eyed as Percival started to stretch himself, a flush spreading from the tips of his ears, down the back of his neck and across his chest as he worked his fingers in deeper, scissoring them. “Soon,” he promised Gwaine, his hips starting to move in time to his fingers.

Gwaine licked his suddenly dry lips as he watched that body move above him. Percival positioned himself, one hand around the base of Gwaine’s cock as he lined them up, his eyes fixed on Gwaine. “Now, please?” Gwaine couldn’t help but beg as everything he wanted was right there. 

Silhouetted by the sun, Percival smiled down on him like a benign god. “Now,” he agreed, and then Gwaine wasn’t thinking anymore, wasn’t begging anymore. He was seeing, and feeling, with what felt like every nerve in his body as, at last, Percival was lowering himself. The larger knight refused to hurry, tightening his knees around Gwaine’s hips and pinning his shoulders to the ground. “but if you start moving too much and reopen those wounds, you get to be the one explaining to Gaius how it happened.”

Gwaine couldn’t figure out how Percival was managing to string together a whole, coherent sentence. The heat of Percival’s body, tightening around him as he bottomed out with a gasp, and the controlled, unyielding strength holding Gwaine down almost made him come right then. Gwaine threw back his head, making desperate whining noises as he fought his own reactions, needing to make this last longer. He always was the noisy one. Percival had once compared him to a scalded cat. Percival was of course quieter, but never silent and Gwaine counted every quiet moan, every hissed breath and muttered curse as a personal victory. 

And then Percival was moving, his thighs trembling as he lifted then lowered, sweat rolled down his body to mingle with Gwaine’s and they rediscovered their rhythm together. All the time those giant hands held Gwaine in place but Gwaine couldn’t find it in him to mind as he watched his very own Greek god - one with warm flesh and undulating muscles in place of cold, still marble- writhe and gasp above him, head thrown back in pleasure. The pain and fear and horror of the past weeks were burning away in the heat of their bodies as hey moved together, but Gwaine was always greedy, he needed all of Percival, needed to see what he’d feared never seeing again while he was alone in the dark. Twisting, he fought against Percival’s grip and managed to stretch out a hand, reaching between their bodies to wrap a hand around Percival’s length and pumped hard.

“Want you with me.” He demanded, “Need to see you come.”

Percival was so close it only took those words, the feel of Gwaine’s hand and the need in his eyes and then he was coming hard. With a low roar he painted Gwaine’s chest, and with that, took Gwaine screaming over the edge with them.

Percival somehow managed to collapse to one side of Gwaine, even now taking care not to hurt him, before pulling him close to his chest. They were silent then, except for the sounds of their breathing. “How’re you feeling?” Percival asked, eventually, his breath tickling the back of Gwaine’s neck.

There were so many answers to that. Safe, happy, loved, perfect… but they were all too sappy and Gwaine didn’t do sappy, it was bad for his image. “I’m feeling hungry.” He smirked, determined to cheapen the moment. “You brought me out here on false pretences. You promised food!”

“Idiot!” Percival swatted him fondly over the head. “Let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll look after your stomach okay?” And with that, Percival was back in mother hen mode, albeit with a lot more stroking and inappropriate touching. After wiping them both clean, Percival even rebandaged Gwaine’s wounds. “Some things I really don’t want to explain to Gaius.” He explained with a wry grin, “And how we got your bandages dirty is most definitely one of them.”

Gwaine definitely agreed with him on that, and anyway, Percival mothering him wasn’t such a bad thing as long as it wasn’t getting in the way of having epic sex. Now, feeling happy, content and most definitely sated Gwaine was happy to lay back and let Percival hand feed him tidbits of his favourite foods. This way he got to eat and lick Percival’s fingers at the same time, definitely a win in his book. Eventually though, all the food was gone and Gwaine was starting to squint from the headache that was building behind his eyes. Percival of course homed in on this almost before Gwaine had noticed himself.

“Time to go home I think.” He announced, starting to wrap the remains of their picnic back up into a bundle. “I’m not sure this was what Gaius had in mind when he said I could take you out for a little while…and it’s time to get those eyes wrapped back up.”

“Not yet, please?” Gwaine asked, not wanting to lose the colours of Percival’s skin, his eyes, so soon.

“Gaius said just for an hour to start.” Percival reasoned. “It’s been a lot longer than that already.” He was reaching for the blindfold as he spoke, and Gwaine caught his arm, stilling him.

“At least let me walk back to the castle without it! Much less chance of me tripping over and hurting myself.” Gwaine said, also less chance of people seeing him looking like an idiot as he fumbled around in the dark. He frowned, struck by a sudden thought. “Percival?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Why did I just walk the length of the castle and half of Camelot blindfolded? I nearly fell down the stairs – twice! I tripped over a stool and nearly walked into a door.”

“Um.” Percival managed before Gwaine carried on, working into a proper rant.

“We could have taken the blindfold off before all the embarrassing near death experiences! Not to mention, it’s not so bright inside the castle, it would have given my eyes more time to adjust?”

Percival sighed into his neck, nuzzling softly with his nose. “I just thought the first things you saw should be more interesting, more pretty, than the four walls of our room. I thought out here was…” he gestured helplessly at the sky, the trees.

And that was it, all of Gwaine’s indignation drained away into a melted puddle of goo and he squirmed in Percival’s hold until he was facing his knight. He drank in those puzzled blue eyes, ran his hands over the short, spiky blond hair and then over the smooth golden skin of Percival’s arms. He leaned in to kiss those beautiful pink lips, sucking on them until they were cherry red and he had to stop to breathe, to talk.

“You perfect, wonderful, disgustingly sweet man.” Gwaine told Percival in between kisses. “I didn’t want to see the scenery… I wanted to see you. Only you! I was so scared I’d never see you again,” he admitted, running his fingers over Percival’s face. 

Percival’s skin flushed a delicious red, from embarrassment this time. “I missed seeing your eyes.” He admitted, “The way they dance when you’re happy, how they darken when you want me.” He caught Gwaine’s fingers with his mouth, nibbling on them, before stopping. “But I’m not letting you distract me again. We need to get you home, before Gaius skins us both alive.”

“You have an unhealthy concern for what Gaius thinks.” Gwaine pointed out. He should probably be helping pack up their food and collect their clothes back together, but he had a wonderful view of Percival’s arse from here and being injured had to have at least some advantages, so he stayed where he was to make the most of it.

“Here. You can at least put your clothes on, while you’re sat there.” Percival said, dropping the gathered clothes into Gwaine’s lap.

“You don’t want me naked as long as possible?” He couldn’t help tease.

“I’d rather you had clothes on before some poor servant comes this way and gets an eyeful,” Percival said, as he pulled his own trousers on, and then shrugged into his tunic.

“No one is going to come this way,” Gwaine said, but with the beautiful view rapidly disappearing beneath Percival’s clothes, Gwaine saw no reason to hang around, and it was getting a little chilly down below, he started to pull on his own shirt. 

“I don’t think we’re as far away from the castle as you think,” Percival said as he helped a grumbling Gwaine with his boots.

“We walked for ages.”

“No, although it probably felt that way when you couldn’t see.” Percival ruffled his hair fondly, before Gwaine batted his hand away with a growl. “I’ll probably get sent on patrol tomorrow night, looking for the strange howling beast everyone heard just outside the castle walls this afternoon.”

“Howling beast?” Gwaine started, before realisation dawned. “Oh…”  
Percival was snickering now as the normally shameless Gwaine actually blushed. Percival decided to take pity on him though and changed the subject. “Come on, you can lean on me.” He held out a hand to help Gwaine up.

“I can walk on my own.”

“I know you can, but you don’t have to.” Percival smiled fondly, “I promise, as soon as we’re back on the main path, I’ll let you go. But let me help until then?”

Gwaine sniffed and held a hand out, letting Percival tug him to his feet. “Just don’t tell anyone.”

“Of course not,” Percival said with a small smile.

“I mean it.”

“So do I,” Percival promised, leading them away.

“Hey, stop. Hang on a minute.” Gwaine pulled him to a halt, reaching down to the grass. “You forgot…”

“The blindfold?” Percival asked, grabbing it himself before Gwaine could pull at the healing cuts across his chest. “I was going to get you a clean one when we got back… and I didn’t think you’d be in any rush to get it back on.”

Gwaine laughed, his first proper laugh in what felt like forever. He tugged the blindfold out of Percival’s hand and tucked it into his belt. “Who says I’m going to be the one wearing it next time?”

They were both laughing and giggling as they walked back into Camelot. Gwaine might have to put the blindfold back on for a while for the next day or so, but the darkness wasn’t such a bad place when he knew he had all the colours in the world waiting for him when he took it back off.

**Author's Note:**

> Written in answer to the Gwaine Fest 2014 challenge "Gwaine/Other+colours" Apologies for the sappy title, but it seemed the most apt of the various feeble titles I came up with for this one.


End file.
